“I’m looking forward to the final, I have been talking to some of the lads and they are buzzing about the game. This success with Ireland will be a good omen for Sunday, hopefully.”

Keane is also determined to savour the moment in Los Angeles this Sunday evening, just as he did in Dublin on Tuesday.

“It’s been a good week so far and I am trying to enjoy this week, take it all in and remember it,” added the 31-year-old Dubliner.

“If I’m honest getting through to the World Cup in 2002 passed me right by. These moments don’t happen very often and I realise that now. I have a terrible memory anyway but I don’t remember anything about being in Iran or anything that went with the play-off that got us to the World Cup.

“That’s why I had a little chat with myself before the game against Estonia on Tuesday. I told myself to try and take in very moment, every little detail and cherish it.

“In 2002 I thought qualification would be the norm for us, I thought we’d be at every European and World Cup final but that hasn’t been the case. We have been close on a couple of occasions but we didn’t get there and I only understand now how difficult it is to qualify for these tournaments.

“When you are 21 you kind of take things for granted. You think you have 15 years left in you and every second summer will be a tournament. It doesn’t work like that, that’s why Tuesday was so important, firstly to ensure that we qualified and then that we all enjoyed it.

“It will be the same on Sunday night. I want it to be memorable and I want to win it.”